Want to live a better story? Ditch your New Year's resolution and do this instead.

ow’s your New Year’s resolution going? If you’re like most people, you either thought to yourself, “Wait, what was my new year’s resolution?” or just descended into a shame spiral.

Me, I’m not a big fan of resolutions. Instead, I like to choose a word of the year.

If you think about it, a word of the year makes for a better story than a resolution. A resolution is kind of boring. Whether it’s to lose 50 pounds, run a marathon, or get out of debt, there’s not a lot of mystery to it. You either accomplish it or not. (Mostly not, according to the statistics.) Plus, it usually involves a lot of work.

But a word, now that brings some drama. It’s specific, yet open-ended. It gives you a direction with which to focus your energy, but leaves the door open for surprises. And besides, whose story sounds better, the girl who chose “Freedom” as her word of the year, or the guy who wants to lose 15 pounds of belly fat?

I’ve been thinking about my word of the year for a few weeks now. I knew the feeling I was going for, but I couldn’t think of a word that embodied it. Finally, it hit me: magic. That’s my word of the year. Considering I've been saying it a lot of late, it should have been more obvious.

Now, I won’t be learning any card tricks or anything. To me, magic is the free prize, the unexpected little extra that transforms an experience from average to awesome. Magic doesn’t have to cost money, but it does require creativity and mindfulness. Because it doesn’t happen by chance. In 2012, I want to experience magic, and I want to help create magical experiences for others.

Most resolutions only address one level of your life, such as your body, your relationships, your job. But the cool thing about a word of the year is that it covers your whole life. For instance, I’m looking forward to making and experiencing magic in my speaking programs, through our web site, in my travels, and in my daily life with Kim and the kids.

If you haven’t already, why not come up with your own word of the year? I have more thoughts about it here, and this great primer even has a list of words to spark your imagination. Spend some time in quiet thinking about your word, and then write it down or print it out and post it somewhere you’ll see it every day.

P.S. I'm interested in hearing from you! What sorts of things can Kim and I help you with? What are your biggest challenges when it comes to fighting Adultitis? What topics would you like to see covered more in the year ahead? Just hit reply and let me know!

coolthing

The Escape Plan. A 40-challenge workbook designed to inspire you, add more fun to your life, and keep Adultits at bay for good. Learn more.

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What happens when you give thousands of stickers to thousands of kids? This.